Department for Education

Boarding Schools: Special Educational Needs

Lord Warner: To ask His Majesty's Government howmany residential special educational needs schools there were in England at the end of (1) 2021, (2) 2022, and (3) 2023.

Baroness Barran: According to the Get Information About Schools (GIAS) database, in 2021 there were 238 open residential special schools. In 2022 there were 175 and in 2023 there were 159. This is a reduction in special schools offering residential provision, the number of special schools grew from 1,689 in 2021 to 1,822 in 2023.This includes local authority maintained special schools, special academies, non-maintained special schools, independent special schools and specialist post-16 institutions. It covers both those registered as boarding schools, subject to the national minimum standards for residential special schools, and those which offer provision for more than 38 weeks per year and are dual registered as children’s homes.

Children: Care Homes

Lord Warner: To ask His Majesty's Government howmany children's homes there were in England at the end of (1) 2021, (2) 2022, and (3) 2023; and how many of those in each year were secure homes.

Baroness Barran: This is a matter for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver. I have asked him to write to the noble Lord and a copy of his reply will be placed in the libraries of both Houses.

Boarding Schools: Special Educational Needs

Lord Warner: To ask His Majesty's Government howmany residential special educational needs school were owned by private equity companies for the most recent date for which figures are available.

Lord Warner: To ask His Majesty's Government howmany residential special educational needs schools were rated by Ofsted as (1) outstanding, (2) good, (3) requires improvement, and (4) inadequate, at the end of 2023; and how many private equity owned schools were in each of those categories.

Lord Warner: To ask His Majesty's Government howmany residential special educational schools are currently owned by (1) charities, (2) public bodies, and (3) not for profit companies.

Lord Warner: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the share size that private for-profit companies have of the market for residential special educational needs schools; what assessment they have made of whether competition in that sector is reducing; and what discussions they have had with the Competition and Markets Authority concerning investigations into that sector.

Baroness Barran: There are currently 148 residential special schools in England: 26 are maintained schools, 32 are non-maintained special schools, 35 are academy and free schools, 55 are independent schools.The department does not systematically collect data on the type of companies that own schools. Therefore, the department does not disaggregate these results based on whether they are owned by private equity companies or not-for-profit organisations.Of the 55 independent residential special schools, interrogation of the Independent School Register shows 16 are charities. Ofsted ratings show that 10 of these schools are rated outstanding, 39 are rated good, and six are rated as requires improvement.The department has not made an assessment of the share size that private for-profit companies have of the market and has not been in discussion with the Competition and Markets Authority about this sector.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Iraq: Development Aid

Lord McInnes of Kilwinning: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 20 February (HL2204), whether they intend to apply further conditions to funding provided to the government of Iraq to prevent this funding being funnelled to other groups, including Kata'ib Hezbollah.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Thorough due diligence assessment of all funding is carried out and the FCDO ensures partners have procedures in place to manage the main risks of aid diversion from activities it funds, including specific controls to ensure that assistance goes direct to the intended beneficiaries.

Iraq: Development Aid

Lord McInnes of Kilwinning: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 20 February (HL2204),what processes and safeguards are in place to ensure that UK funding to the government of Iraq is not channelled to the Popular Mobilisation Forces and affiliated organisations such asKata'ib Hezbollah.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Thorough due diligence assessment of all funding is carried out and the FCDO ensures partners have procedures in place to manage the main risks of aid diversion from activities it funds, including specific controls to ensure that assistance goes direct to the intended beneficiaries.

Pakistan: Ahmadiyya

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Pakistan concerningthe denial of the right to vote as Muslims of Ahmadi Muslims in the 2024 elections in that country.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: In his statement of 9 February, the Foreign Secretary recognised serious concerns about the inclusivity of Pakistan's elections and stressed the need for the new government to represent the interests of all Pakistan's citizens and communities. The UK advocates against any measures which restrict an individual's right to vote, including discriminatory measures used against religious minority communities such as the Ahmadiyya Muslim community. On 19 January, I raised the need for inclusivity in the elections with Pakistan's Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani. On 25 September 2023, the former Foreign Secretary raised the importance of credible, inclusive and timely elections with Pakistan's Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-haq Kakar. On 21 August, I wrote to Foreign Minister Jilani to raise concerns about the treatment of minority religious communities and underline the need to ensure all Pakistan's citizens, including Ahmadi Muslims, are able to exercise their democratic rights.

Elizabeth Tsurkov

Lord McInnes of Kilwinning: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 20 February (HL2204), what methods and tactics they have at their disposal when hostages are held by non-state actors within the territory of another state, such as the case of Elizabeth Tsurkov in Iraq; and what further steps they will take to facilitate her release.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is concerned over the kidnapping of Israeli-Russian dual national Elizabeth Tsurkov. The Government of Iraq opened an investigation into her kidnapping last year and we await the findings. Those suspected of criminal responsibility for her kidnapping should be brought to justice in fair trials. However, as Elizabeth Tsurkov is not a British citizen, we are not in a position to offer direct consular assistance.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Sewage: Waste Disposal

Baroness Boycott: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to direct the Environment Agency to revise all permits issued in respect of water company sewage discharges under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016, so that those permits fully reflect the combined obligations of the Urban Waste Water Treatment (England and Wales) Regulations 1994 and the judgment in the case of Commission v UK, case C-301/10, of 18 October 2012.

Lord Douglas-Miller: Under the Urban Waste Water Treatment (England and Wales) Regulations 1994, storm overflows are investigated using an Environment Agency framework, the Storm Overflow Assessment Framework. This framework is consistent with the Court of Justice of the be put European Union’s (CJEU) judgment in the Commission v UK case. Where upgrades or solutions are identified under this framework, the Environment Agency require that improvements in place as soon as reasonably practicable and are accompanied by necessary permit variations by the Environment Agency to reflect those requirements.

Fish Products: Norway

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the products of the Norwegian fish farming industry imported into the UK on global health insecurity and food shortage as a result of the industry's use of feed and fish oil from Mauritania.

Lord Douglas-Miller: Addressing the ongoing global food security crisis and delivering sustainable food security for countries struggling with hunger and malnutrition is a priority for His Majesty’s Government. In 2022 the UK was one of the top 6 countries donors to the World Food Programme (over $400 million). Between 2016 and 2021, the UK spent £2.6 billion on longer-term food and agriculture programmes.We are aware of recent reports that have suggested that the fishmeal industry based in Mauritania which supplies, among others, the Norwegian aquaculture sector is contributing to loss of livelihoods and malnutrition in West African nations. Assessments on the impact of supply chains to the Norwegian aquaculture sector are the responsibility of the Norwegian government.The UK works directly to support food security and sustainable Ocean Management in West African countries affected by declining fish stocks. For example, as part of the £500 million Blue Planet Fund, the UK formalised a bilateral Ocean Country Partnership with Senegal in 2023. This partnership aims at reducing marine pollution, preserving marine biodiversity as well as helping fishing to be more sustainable.

Recycling

Baroness Hayman of Ullock: To ask His Majesty's Government whetherthey haveassessed the impact of mandating the sorting of co-mingled materials collected from households on increasing recycling rates under the Simpler Recycling policy.

Lord Douglas-Miller: As part of Simpler Recycling, we have consulted on the provision of an exemption to allow local authorities and waste collectors in England to co-collect two or more dry recyclable waste streams in the same container, and to co-collect food and garden waste together in one container, without the need for written assessment. This consultation is now closed and we are analysing the responses and feedback from stakeholders gathered through this process. We will communicate the outcome of the consultation in due course. Furthermore, we will publish our Final Impact Assessment for Simpler Recycling alongside secondary legislation in 2024 which will contain modelled impacts of the Simpler Recycling on recycling rates.

Dairy Products and Meat Products: UK Internal Trade

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of proposed 'Not for EU' labels on meat and dairy products on (1) food costs, and (2) exports.

Lord Douglas-Miller: The “not for EU” labelling requirement came into force for meat and some dairy products moving under the Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme in October 2023. Defra provided a transitional labelling fund of £50 million to support compliance with the scheme. There has been no evidence of impact on food costs or exports. In line with the commitments set out in the February 2023 and February 2024 Government Command Papers, the Government will bring forward legislation for this labelling requirement to be expanded GB wide for relevant products from October 2024. A six-week consultation on the implementation of this policy was launched on 2 February. We welcome responses from businesses that supply the UK market and export, which will inform our ongoing considerations of the final details of the policy, including any possible exemptions.

Seed Potatoes: Northern Ireland

Lord Dodds of Duncairn: To ask His Majesty's Government whether, prior to the United Kingdom leaving the European Union, seed potatoes could be moved by professional operators to consumers in Northern Ireland.

Lord Douglas-Miller: We have lifted the ban on the movement of seed potatoes - under the Windsor Framework they can now move from Great Britain to Northern Ireland under the NI Plant Health Label scheme. Currently movements are required to be made between registered professional operators in Great Britain to professional operators in Northern Ireland for commercial growing in Northern Ireland. Once planted in Northern Ireland and grown into potatoes for consumption, or used to produce further seed potatoes, they can be sold into Northern Ireland retailers and garden centres.

Peatlands: Environment Protection

Baroness Hayman of Ullock: To ask His Majesty's Government whether payments to farmers in England to rewet upland peat are sufficient (1) to offset management costs and provide income to the farmers, and (2) to ensure levels of restoration activity that are consistent with short-term and long-term targets.

Lord Douglas-Miller: Payment rates are based on the income forgone and costs to the farmer. In January, we announced that we were increasing the payment rate for rewetting moorland peat in Countryside Stewardship from £25 to £181 per hectare. This significant increase will ensure appropriate payment to farmers as well as incentivising rewetting of vitally important peatland. The Nature for Climate Peatland Grant scheme has provided £35 million of funding to financially commit us to restoring approximately 27,000 hectares of peatland. This scheme is funding a significant proportion of our short-term target of restoring 35,000 hectares by 2025. The Government’s Environmental Land Management schemes will help us meet our longer-term target to restore 280,000 hectares of peatland by 2050. In particular, the Landscape Recovery scheme will provide successful projects with funding to support large-scale peatland restoration. Payments made to land managers under Landscape Recovery projects will be benchmarked against rates paid for similar activities under existing Government schemes, such as Countryside Stewardship, to ensure payments to farmers are appropriate.

Internal Drainage Boards: Finance

Baroness Eaton: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the financial situation of internal drainage boards and what plans they have to ensure that internal drainage boards can collect levies independently to that of local government.

Lord Douglas-Miller: Internal drainage boards (IDBs) are local independent public bodies responsible for managing water levels and flood risk supporting and better protecting farms and communities in predominately low-lying areas in England. IDBs are funded by the beneficiaries of their important work, farmers, who pay drainage rates, and local authorities, who pay special levies. The Government is aware of recent impacts on IDBs, predominately from rising costs and especially rising energy costs, and is keeping in close contact with IDBs, the Association of Drainage Authorities and relevant local authorities on this. In recognition of the rising costs and following the winter storms the government will be providing £75 million in funding to IDBs in 2024-2025, on a one-off basis, to support agricultural land drainage and continue the important work IDBs do in helping to better protect farmers and communities from flooding. This will support IDBs to accelerate asset recovery from the winter storms and will also provide opportunities to modernise and upgrade their assets. More information will be available shortly, and we will work with the sector on delivery. In addition, DLUHC is providing £3 million to support those local authorities in 2024/25 who are experiencing the biggest pressures with IDB special levies. DLUHC will confirm the distribution of this funding in the coming months.

Meat: Imports

Baroness Randerson: To ask His Majesty's Government how they will ensure that all freight vehicles carrying meat present themselves at the Sevington inland border facility having passed through the Port of Dover; and how these vehicles will be monitored and tracked.

Lord Douglas-Miller: The Border Target Operating Model is a system deliberately designed to target risk in a proportionate way. It is not intended to carry out checks on all goods. The proportion of a particular commodity type that is required to present for physical checks is determined by the risk categorisation (high, medium or low) of that commodity. Meat products span all three risk categories, and as such will be subject to physical inspection rates between 0% and 100%. Where a consignment is called to Sevington inland border facility for a physical inspection, those goods will not be legally cleared for sale or use within the UK until they have attended and been cleared at the Border Control Post (BCP). Where the BCP has concerns, either due to non-attendance or evidence of non-compliance, there are existing provisions, including requiring return or destruction of the goods, or for the goods to be referred for inland controls by the local authority. These are part of the established processes for Border Contl facilities like Sevington that sit outside the controlled zone of ports, including those at Liverpool Birkenhead, Newhaven, Portsmouth and Tyne. Other EU ports like Dublin also carry out checks at control posts outside of the port itself. Goods selected for inspection will not be legally cleared for sale or use within the UK until they have attended and been cleared at the BCP. Where the BCP has concerns, for example due to non-attendance, there are existing provisions for the goods to be referred for inland controls by the local authority. There are also established processes for Border Control facilities that sit outside the controlled zone of ports. We will look to implement the BTOM in a way that recognises that new requirements are being placed on traders. As a result, we will introduce the BTOM in a way that will focus on improving trader compliance rather than enforcement. However, enforcement will be implemented where there is evidence of deliberate avoidance, fraud or biosecurity concerns.

Import Controls: Northern Ireland

Lord Empey: To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect the construction of border inspection posts in Northern Ireland to be completed.

Lord Douglas-Miller: The SPS Inspection Facilities at Northern Ireland points of entry will be completed by 1 July 2025, per our commitments under the Windsor Framework.

Import Controls: Northern Ireland

Lord Empey: To ask His Majesty's Government how much money has been allocated for the construction of border inspection posts in Northern Ireland.

Lord Douglas-Miller: The construction of the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Inspection Facilities in Northern Ireland is supported by an agreed business case which provides a funding envelope of up to a maximum of £192.3 million. This figure is just an envelope and is not guaranteed as the department always aspires to come in under budget.

Water Supply: Microplastics

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask His Majesty's Government what is theirlatest assessment of the amount of microplastics in tap water.

Lord Douglas-Miller: The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) has published two research projects on microplastics in drinking water – one in January 2019 reviewing the potential risks from nanoparticles and microplastics and another in October 2022 looking at the removal of microplastics by drinking water treatment processes. The research by the DWI found that more than 99.99% of microplastic particles were removed through conventional drinking water treatment processes. As a consequence of the removal rates, microplastics were present at very low levels in drinking water. Their contribution to total daily exposure, and presenting a potential risk to human health, was likely to be low or insignificant. The World Health Organization has also recommended that routine monitoring of microplastics in drinking water was not necessary at this time.

Rivers: Sewage

Baroness Boycott: To ask His Majesty's Government when the results of the Storm Overflow Assessment Framework will be published for storm overflows potentially discharging untreated sewage into English rivers; and on what occasions there have been (1) overflows where untreated sewage can be lawfully discharged other than as a result of exceptional rainfall, and (2) overflows where untreated sewage cannot be lawfully discharged other than as a result of exceptional rainfall.

Lord Douglas-Miller: Outcomes of the Storm Overflow Assessment Framework (SOAF) investigations within calendar year are reported through the annual Event Duration Monitoring (EDM) reporting from Water and Sewerage Companies to the Environment Agency at the end of February the following year. The Environment Agency publishes these EDM reports by end of March each year. The Environment Agency will publish the 2023 EDM report in March 2024 and this will contain outcomes from SOAF investigations completed by December 2023. The Environment Agency will assess data provided by each water company in order to assess whether they are meeting their legal obligations with regards to the discharge of untreated sewage.

Reservoirs

Lord Patten: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the adequacy of reservoirs in England and Wales in ensuring continuous water supplies to meet (1) domestic, and (2) industrial, demand.

Lord Patten: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made since the year 2000 of the need for new reservoirs in England and Wales.

Lord Douglas-Miller: Defra published its Plan for Water which set out the importance of ensuring a clean and plentiful water supply in England. The Plan sets out our commitment to a twin track approach to improving water supply resilience, with action to reduce water company leaks alongside investing in new supply infrastructure. It is a duty on water companies to maintain, improve and extend their water supply networks, to account for future water needs, such as those for domestic and industrial users. Last year, regional water resources groups and water companies, consulted on their draft water resources plans. These statutory plans set out how each company will secure water supplies sustainably for at least the next 25 years. The draft water resources management plans contain proposals for multiple new water resources schemes by 2050, including nine new reservoirs.

Recycling

Baroness Hayman of Ullock: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure high recycling rates under the Simpler Recycling policy; and how such rates will be assessed to give consumers confidence.

Lord Douglas-Miller: Simpler Recycling will aim to make recycling clearer and more consistent across England. All household and non-household premises (such as businesses, schools and hospitals) across England will be able to recycle the same materials in the following core groups: metal; glass; plastic; paper and card; food waste; garden waste (household only). Furthermore, packaging producers will be required to label packaging as ‘Recycle’ or ‘Do Not Recycle’ adopting a single label format which incorporates the Recycle Now symbol.

Recycling

Baroness Hayman of Ullock: To ask His Majesty's Government whetherthey have assessed the effectiveness of introducing statutory guidance on Simpler Recycling which mandates the sorting of materials in order to be recycled by Material Recovery Facilities.

Lord Douglas-Miller: We recently consulted on the content of the statutory guidance for Simpler Recycling. We will publish our final statutory guidance once the regulations relating to Simpler Recycling have been made.

Land Drainage

Baroness Eaton: To ask His Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the role of the Environment Agency in ensuring that drainage ditches owned by riparian owners are maintained

Lord Douglas-Miller: Under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010, the Environment Agency has a strategic overview of the management of all sources of flooding and coastal change and are the lead authority for managing the risk of flooding from main rivers, estuaries and the sea. Many different public and private bodies are involved in flood and coastal erosion risk management, each accountable for different aspects of risk management. The National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy for England (copy attached) sets out the different roles and responsibilities and describes how organisations and communities can work together to tackle flood and coastal risk in a co-ordinated and effective way. Landowners are responsible, under common law, for maintaining the bed and banks of any watercourses that run through their land in a state which avoids flooding on their neighbours’ or other land. This common law duty also extends to keeping watercourses and culverts clear of anything that could cause an obstruction, either on their own land or downstream if it is washed away. Drainage ditches are usually ordinary watercourses rather than main rivers, so the oversight of flood risk arising from unmaintained drainage ditches sits with other Risk Management Authorities (RMAs). Lead local flood authorities (county councils and unitary authorities), district councils, internal drainage boards, highways authorities and water and sewerage companies are collectively known as RMAs. The Environment Agency has published guidance on owning a watercourse on GOV.UK, covering riparian landowners’ responsibilities and the rules to follow and the permissions needed. By March 2024, new engagement guidance will be published, to help RMAs, Environment Agency staff and landowners have more effective conversations on this matter.FCERM strategy (pdf, 2390.4KB)

Cabinet Office

Public Sector: Vetting

Lord Blunkett: To ask His Majesty's Government how long, on average, it takes for security vetting to be completed in (1) security and policing jobs, and (2) other public service jobs which require security clearance.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: As Minister for State at the Cabinet Office responsible for United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) I am able to provide a response in relation to National Security Vetting (NSV). Police Vetting and NSV remain two separate and distinct processes. Whilst all police personnel are required to undertake a level of police vetting, only police personnel within certain specific roles are required to undertake NSV. Whilst UKSV acts as service providers for NSV, they have no involvement in processing police vetting. This remains the responsibility of police authorities. Following a stabilisation programme initiated in 2023, there have been sustained and stable improvements in performance against Key Performance Indicators (KPI) across all service levels of National Security Vetting clearances which includes Counter Terrorist Check (CTC), Security Check (SC) and Developed Vetting (DV). Across core services:The KPIs for both CTC and SC are 25 days, on 29th February 2024 96% of cases were being processed within that time frame.The KPI for DV is 95 days; on 29th February 2024 93.48% of initial DV cases were being processed within that time frame.The Performance Indicator for DV Renewals is also 95 days; on 29th February 2024 13.78% of these cases were being processed within that time frame. However we expect that DV renewals submitted from 1st April 2024 will be delivered within the KPI of 95 days.Security roles are based across many departments and partner agencies and therefore it is not possible to provide confirmation of the performance of NSV in relation to these specific roles. In relation to the police requirement for NSV specifically, I can confirm that UKSV are meeting the KPIs across the SC and initial DV products.In line with the practice followed by successive administrations, the Government does not otherwise comment on security matters, including average actual processing times.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Homelessness

Lord Truscott: To ask His Majesty's Government what estimatethey have made of the total cost of eradicating homelessness in England.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: The Government has made the unprecedented commitment to end rough sleeping and to fully enforce the Homelessness Reduction Act. In September 2022, we published our cross-government strategy ‘Ending Rough Sleeping for Good’, and we are investing almost £2.4 billion to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping between 2022 and 2025.We are also taking action to prevent people from becoming homeless or rough sleeping in the first place. We are investing over £1.2 billion in the Homelessness Prevention Grant over three years, including a £109 million top-up for 2024/25, giving councils the funding they need to prevent homelessness and help more people sooner.

Srebrenica: Genocide

Baroness Helic: To ask His Majesty's Government how much funding they have provided to the organisationRemembering Srebrenica in each financial year since its establishment; and what plans they have to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the genocide that was committed there.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: The Government has provided funding for the Remembering Srebrenica programme as outlined in the table below: Financial yearAmount awarded2013/14£170,0002014/15£467,5002015/16£332,5002016/17£400,0002017/18£400,0002018/19£400,0002019/20£400,0002020/21£400,0002021/22£250,0002022/23£200,0002023/24£150,000* *For the current financial year, £75,000 has been issued so far, with the final £75,000 tranche of funding expected to be released in March. This is subject to progress against key milestones as set out in Remembering Srebrenica’s workplan. Regarding the 30th anniversary of the genocide, it is important that such a significant anniversary is appropriately commemorated, including by the UK Government.

Regional Planning and Development: Public Lavatories

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government whether a proposal for a toilet commissioner was dropped from the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023; and, if so, why.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: Provisions for a toilet commissioner were not included in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill.

Public Lavatories: Disability

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of a lack of public toilets on people with disabilities.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of a lack of public toilets on people with ulcerative colitis.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of a lack of public toilets on people who suffer from a frequent need to urinate.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the health impact of people intentionally dehydrating because of a lack of public toilets.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: Government does not record statistics on the impact of lack of public toilets on disabled people or those with specific health conditions. Local councils are empowered by the Public Health Act 1936 to provide public conveniences. We recently announced up to £30.5 million funding to local authorities in England to boost the number of Changing Places toilets for people who cannot use standard accessible toilets. They will be installed in existing buildings and we have made it compulsory for new public buildings to have them.The Minister for Equalities, Faith, Local Government and Communities made a statement (HCWS172) on 4 July 2022 setting out the Government’s intention to make changes to the Building Regulations to support better privacy, dignity and security for people using toilets outside the home. As part of that work, the department carried out a call for evidence on toilet provision for men and women, which closed in February 2021. We received more than 17,500 responses to the call for evidence and of those, 88% cited important considerations including medical conditions and toilet provision for disabled persons. These concerns were reflected in our more detailed proposals which were set out in a technical consultation on toilet provision in buildings other than dwellings which closed in October 2023. The responses to the technical consultation are now being considered and we intend to amend Building Regulations accordingly in the coming months.  HCWS172 (pdf, 94.7KB)Toilet provision for men and women (pdf, 718.0KB)Toilet provision in building other than dwellings (pdf, 492.1KB)

Department for Work and Pensions

Household Support Fund

Lord Young of Cookham: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of not renewing funding for the Household Support Fund on unpaid family carers.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: At Spring Budget the Chancellor announced a six-month extension of the Household Support Fund, to continue to provide targeted support to those most in need. The government is providing an additional £500m to enable the extension of the Household Support Fund, including funding for the Devolved Administrations through the Barnett formula to be spent at their discretion. This means that Local Authorities in England will receive an additional £421m to support those in need locally through the Household Support Fund. This Government recognises and values the vital contribution made by carers in supporting some of the most vulnerable in society, including pensioners and those with disabilities. Carer’s Allowance is available to provide a measure of financial support and recognition for people who are not able to work full time because of their caring responsibilities. The rate of Carer’s Allowance is £76.75 a week, from April 2024 this will increase to £81.90 a week. Since 2010, the rate of Carer’s Allowance will have increased from £53.90 to £81.90 a week from April 2024, providing around an £1500 a year for carers through Carer’s Allowance. In addition to Carer’s Allowance, carers on low incomes can claim income-related benefits such as Universal Credit and Pension Credit. These benefits can be paid to carers at a higher rate than those without caring responsibilities through the carer element and the additional amount for carers respectively. Receiving a means-tested benefit can act as a “passport” to other support, including help with fuel costs through schemes such as the Warm Home Discount, so carers who are not receiving a means-tested benefit already are encouraged to check whether they might be entitled. Full details of all DWP benefits are available on Gov.UK. Help and Advice can also be sought from bodies such as Carers UK, Carers Trust, and Citizens Advice through their Help to Claim support.

Quad Bikes: Safety

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what is the timetablefor their review into operator protection devices on quad bikes.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is the regulator for health and safety in Great Britain. The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) is the equivalent regulator in Northern Ireland. Sit astride all-terrain vehicles (commonly referred to as quad bikes) supplied into the UK market must meet the Essential Health and Safety Requirements of the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 and relevant Standards. Quad bikes are used in a range of workplace and leisure settings. Both UK regulators continue to monitor available technology and the regulatory approaches employed in other countries, including where operator protection devices (OPDs) have been made mandatory. HSE is reviewing available evidence against typical UK workplace settings to see if additional measures can provide improvements in safety. This work is ongoing and HSE will provide this information to the working group that will assess if changes should be made to the specific Designated Standard.

Department for Business and Trade

Horizon IT System

Lord Sikka: To ask His Majesty's Government whether any Government departments knew about the flaws in the Post Office’s Horizon software system prior to the privatisation of Royal Mail.

Lord Offord of Garvel: This is a matter for the statutory Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry, chaired by Sir Wyn Williams, to look into. It would be wrong for the Government to prejudice its work.

Horizon IT System: Compensation

Lord Sikka: To ask His Majesty's Government howmany sub-postmasters wrongly prosecuted by the Post Office have since died without receiving any redress; and how many of their relatives have received full redress.

Lord Offord of Garvel: Tragically, a total of seven wrongfully prosecuted postmasters within the current ‘Overturned Convictions’ cohort have died. Six of these were postmasters whose convictions have been overturned, and one was prosecuted but not convicted. Two of the seven postmasters died after their convictions were overturned. Of these seven claims, four have reached full and final settlement.

Horizon IT System

Lord Sikka: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to place a copy of the Project Zebra review, associated with the Post Office Horizon scandal, in the Library of the House.

Lord Offord of Garvel: The Department does not have a copy of the Project Zebra review. Like other aspects of the Horizon scandal, this is a matter for the statutory Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry, chaired by Sir Wyn Williams, to look into

Horizon IT System: Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

Lord Framlingham: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Offord of Garvel on 14 February (HL2130),whetherthe Government were informed of any action bythe Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman resulting from the sub-postmaster's complaint.

Lord Offord of Garvel: The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) reports to Parliament directly and is held to account through the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee. Therefore, the Department for Business and Trade is unable to respond on their behalf.The Ombudsman’s officials have indicated to my Department that they will take no further action on the complaint, at least until the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry and the GLO compensation scheme have run their course.

Competition and Markets Authority: Disclosure of Information

Lord Tyrie: To ask His Majesty's Government, since its creation, how many whistleblowers the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has compensated; how much in aggregate has been paid in compensation; and what reimbursement has the CMA received from the Treasury for compensation payments made.

Lord Offord of Garvel: The CMA’s informant reward programme is an important tool in uncovering cartel activity. Payments have been made under the informant rewards programme. The CMA does not provide figures about the levels or numbers of such payments. Given the number of CMA cases, divulging even aggregated payment figures could over time risk allowing the identification of cases having a whistleblower. This could put whistleblowers at risk and undermine the programme as a whole. Informant reward payments are directly covered by the CMA’s budget.

Department for Transport

Railways: East of England

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Davies of Gower on 28 February (HL2548), whether they will now answer the question put; namely,what are the minimum and expected timescales for the following stages of Ely Area Capacity Enhancement and upgrading of Haughley Junction: (1) the final business case, (2) the Ministerial decision to proceed to implementation, (3) the issuance of a Transport Work Act Order, (4) the commencement of works, and (5) the completion of works.

Lord Davies of Gower: The Network North announcement confirmed government’s support for the Ely Area Capacity Enhancement (EACE) programme and the substantial benefits this will bring, along with the related Haugley Junction scheme. As with all schemes, these will undergo all formal approvals and governance. Specific timescales will be set out in due course.

Restoring Your Railway Fund

Baroness Randerson: To ask His Majesty's Government when decisions will be announced regarding applications submitted as statements of business cases in the Autumn of 2022 for the Restoring Your Railway Fund (RYR) to move forward to Stage 3 of the RYR process; and whether they willexplain the reasons for the delay in announcing those decisions.

Lord Davies of Gower: The timeframe for providing responses to schemes that have submitted business cases through the Restoring Your Railway programme will vary. The Department is not yet in a position to provide details on next steps for a number of schemes but hopes to be able to do so in due course.

Restoring Your Railway Fund

Baroness Randerson: To ask His Majesty's Government what budget is available for the Restoring Your Railway scheme, announced in January 2020.

Lord Davies of Gower: Following the Network North announcement, many more Restoring Your Railway projects can now be fully funded and delivered. The Department for Transport is in the early stages of planning next steps, including delivery timelines, for individual schemes and is working closely with Network Rail and other delivery partners to develop and deliver on Government priorities. Costs for delivering individual projects within the RYR programme will vary.

High Speed 2 Line: Euston Station

Lord Berkeley: To ask His Majesty's Government what is the latest design for the approach tunnels and grade separation works for the HS2 approaches to Euston; how many station platforms are they designed to accommodate; whether this design has received full safety approval and from whom; and whether they plan to place a copy of the plans in the Library of the House.

Lord Davies of Gower: HS2 Ltd is responsible for designing and building the Euston Approaches. The Company is continuing to progress with the existing design for the approach tunnels and grade separation in line with the requisite technical, safety and environmental standards at all times. The design of the HS2 tunnels has been refined to minimise ground movement and settlement mitigation measures have been developed to be compatible with the operation of the existing railway. As set out on the Network North Command Paper the HS2 station at Euston will comprise 6 platforms which can accommodate the trains we will run to Birmingham and onwards.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Baroness Randerson: To ask His Majesty's Government whatconsideration they have given to mandating a uniform application process for all distribution network operators to reduce costs and delays and to level the playing field for electric vehicle charge point operators.

Lord Davies of Gower: As set out in the Connections Action Plan, Government is committed to improving the connections process for all customers including electric vehicle chargepoint operators.In the Connections Action Plan, Ofgem committed to reviewing to end connection process to improve customer experience and ensure network companies provide a more consistent service to customers. This review will explore the incentives and penalties for network companies.Building on this work, the Grid Connections Review announced in the Plan for Drivers will investigate specific issues the chargepoint sector is facing when looking to reinforce the grid. This includes exploring how we can work with network companies to provide a more consistent application process. The outcomes of the review are expected to be published in Spring 2024.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Baroness Randerson: To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to initiating a public awareness campaign regarding the accessibility of charge points for electric vehicle users, particularly in relation to (1) disabled users, and (2) personal safety considerations for all users.

Lord Davies of Gower: The Government is committed to ensuring that all electric vehicle drivers can easily find public chargepoints that they can use. The Publicly Available Standard (PAS) 1899 provides specifications on designing and installing accessible chargepoints. It also includes guidance on providing a safe environment around public chargepoints, through lighting and CCTV. The Department has funded initiatives to help enhance awareness and adoption of PAS 1899. For instance, the Energy Savings Trust were commissioned to develop and disseminate information on chargepoint accessibility through digital channels and industry events, as well as to advise and support local authorities on implementation of the Standard. Alongside this the Government is actively encouraging local authorities, and other relevant parties, to incorporate accessibility into their procurement models, including through the £381 million Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund.

NHS: Delivery Services

Lord Naseby: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risks of the NHS using drone delivery supplies in the context of ever busier airspace and a lack of collision avoidance technology.

Lord Davies of Gower: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) regulate the use of Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (drones) to ensure the increased use of drones remains safe and secure for all airspace users. The CAA will approve any drone operations for NHS deliveries based on a safety case, in line with their Operational Risk Assessment.

Home Office

Religious Freedom: Demonstrations

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask His Majesty's Government, following the recent conviction of Stephen Green, whether they intend to introduce legislation to amend the Public Order Act 2023 to ensure that it is not a criminal offence to display publicly Psalm 139 anywhere.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Government respects people’s rights provided under Article 9 (freedom of thought, religion and belief), Article 10 (freedom of expression) and Article 11 (freedom of association and assembly) of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).The Government has recently consulted publicly on non-statutory guidance for section 9. We are currently analysing all responses to the consultation, which closed on 22 January, and we will publish the final guidance in due course.

Visas: Foreign Investment in UK

Lord Sikka: To ask His Majesty's Government how many recipients of Tier 1 (Investor) visas were flagged as potentially at high risk of having links to corruption or organised crime in the recent Tier 1 (Investor) visa review.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Tier 1 (Investor) route has been closed. The then Home Secretary made a Written Ministerial Statement on 12 January 2023 setting out the findings of a review into issuance of visas under the route between 2008 and 2015. The Government will not be commenting further on the findings of that review.

Department of Health and Social Care

General Practitioners: Surveys

Baroness Whitaker: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to request that Ipsos includes a category of "Speech, Language, and Communication Difficulties” in the annual GP Patient Survey.

Lord Markham: The 2024 GP Patient Survey includes a question on long-term conditions, which currently lists 15 such conditions. ‘Speech, Language, and Communication Difficulties’ is not one of the specific options listed in this question in the 2024 survey.We appreciate that there are many people in England who are living with speech, language, and communication difficulties. We must strike a careful balance between breadth of coverage and the availability of space in the questionnaire. Anyone who is living with a long-term condition which is not listed is able to select ‘Another long-term condition’.However, we record all questionnaire feedback given to us and take it into account when we review the survey every year.

Food: Advertising

Lord Oates: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend toimplement the recommendations of Bite Back’s report Fuel Us Don’t Fool Us, published on 22 February, concerning the sale and marketing of unhealthy food and drink to children and young people.

Lord Markham: The Government is committed to working with businesses to ensure we create the conditions for a healthier nation. We welcome Bite Back’s report, Fuel Us Don’t Fool Us, and will consider its recommendations.Plans to restrict the location of foods high in fat, salt or sugar came into force on 1 October 2022. These restrictions are the single most impactful obesity policy at reducing children’s calorie consumption and are expected to accrue health benefits of over £57 billion and provide savings to the National Health Service of over £4 billion, over the next 25 years. Calorie labelling in large restaurants, cafes and takeaways has also been in force since April 2022 to support consumers to make healthier choices when eating out or getting a takeaway.On 1 October 2025, the volume price promotion restrictions will come into force restricting volume price promotions such as "3 for 2" offers on less healthy products. The Government will simultaneously introduce a United Kingdom-wide 9pm TV watershed for products high in fat, salt or sugar and a restriction of paid-for advertising of these products online, also on 1 October 2025.The Government has held a consultation to gather evidence on the existing UK colour coded front of pack labelling scheme and will respond in due course. The Government laid legislation in Parliament on 20 February 2024 which will introduce improvement notices for breaches to compliance with nutrition and health claims which will come into force on 1 October 2024. This will enable improvement notices to be used as a more proportionate first step in the enforcement of the requirements around the use of nutrition and health claims on food and drinks in England.The Government is working with industry on the Food Data Transparency Partnership in co-developing voluntary reporting requirements for food business to demonstrate the healthiness of their sales.Decisions about the future development of taxes are made by the Chancellor, in line with the Government’s tax policy-making framework.

Ministry of Justice

Prisoners' Release: Employment and Housing

Baroness Redfern: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking toensure that support provided toprison leavers to secure available housingand potential job opportunities is coordinated.

Lord Bellamy: Effective resettlement of prison leavers is a core part of our efforts to reduce re-offending. This includes making sure someone has a home and access to employment.Community Probation Practitioners coordinate the overall rehabilitation of an offender, supported by Pre-Release Teams who provide immediate resettlement and pre-release support for all people in prison, including for accommodation and employment. This coordination continues once the individual has left prison for the duration of their license period.In prisons, we have rolled out Employment Hubs where Prison Employment Leads work alongside DWP Prison Work Coaches to provide a joined-up approach to preparing for employment. Accommodation support and assistance includes completion of accommodation and housing benefit applications, and support and guidance to ensure continuation of an existing tenancy.To further improve coordination and the overall offering we are introducing Resettlement Passports, which will bring together key information and services that an individual needs in one place to resettle into the community, such as bank accounts, CV’s and identity documents to prove the right to work and rent.The proportion of prison leavers who were employed six months after release has more than doubled in the two years to March 2023, from 14% to over 30%, and the proportion of prison leavers who were homeless or rough sleeping upon release decreased from 16% to 11%, between 2019-20 and 2022-23.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Pornography: Internet

Baroness Benjamin: To ask His Majesty's Government how many pornographic websites have been the subject of (1) regulatory inquiries, or (2) formal investigations by the Information Commissioner’s Office, regarding their use of children’s personal data, on the basis that they are likely to be accessed by minors, since the Age Appropriate Design Code came into force in September 2020.

Viscount Camrose: Following publication of its “Likely to be accessed by children" guidance, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has worked with Ofcom and engaged with two pornographic website companies (Aylo and XHamster). During the development of its guidance on the Age Appropriate Design Code, the ICO also worked with the content subscription service provider OnlyFans on how the code would impact their processing activities. The ICO proactively reviewed the Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) for all three organisations, providing feedback where appropriate, and suggesting improvements in two cases. These were not formal investigations.

Pornography: Internet

Lord Kamall: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made any assessment of the government of Australia’s response to the Roadmap for Age Verification for online pornographic material in August 2023, specifically the decision not to mandate age verification for the time being; and whether there are lessons for UK policy in this area.

Viscount Camrose: Under the UK’s Online Safety Act, publishers of pornographic content and user-to-user providers which allow pornography must use highly effective age verification or age estimation to ensure children are not normally able to encounter this content on their service. This reflects the serious risks that this type of content poses to children.The Australian response to the Roadmap notes that age assurance technologies are still in development. The Act ensures that, as new solutions develop, these can be used to support the protection of children.

4G: Rural Areas

Lord Naseby: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that they are able to meet the targets of the Shared Rural Network programme to deliver 95 per cent 4G mobile coverage across the UK landmass by December 2025.

Viscount Camrose: We continue to work with mobile network operators to ensure the Shared Rural Network is delivered on time and that the crucial coverage improvements are delivered across rural parts of the country. We are also taking steps to provide targeted support where appropriate through, for example, focused information packs and support with planning applications. The programme remains on track to deliver 95% UK 4G coverage by the end of 2025. In fact, 4G coverage now stands at 93% which is up from 91% since the Shared Rural Network was agreed in March 2020. This shows the programme is already delivering improved coverage across the UK.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Expenditure

Lord Rogan: To ask His Majesty's Government howmuch the Ministry of Defence has spent in each of the past five years on surveillance operations to protect the network of undersea cables serving the British Isles from sabotage by hostile actors; and what proportion the government of the Republic of Ireland has contributed towards the cost of those operations.

The Earl of Minto: The Government takes the security and resilience of our critical infrastructure very seriously and we focus on the full range of threats and risks. The responsibility for maintaining subsea cables is a commercial one for the owner-operators. However, the Department for Science Innovation and Technology and Department for Energy Security and Net Zero work closely with the operators, regulators and other stakeholders to assess risks and ensure that the appropriate mitigation measures, including the provision of specialist capabilities are in place to enable an effective response to actual or potentially disruptive incidents. The Ministry of Defence constantly monitors activity within UK waters and its Exclusive Economic Zone to counter and deter detected threats. British warships frequently patrol throughout the UK marine area. We have invested in our under-water capabilities able to monitor and assure the seabed including the Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance (MROS) programme which we do not comment on in detail. These capabilities are used for a variety of purposes and roles meaning that we cannot provide a cost for surveillance. Questions on critical national infrastructure are for individual nations to answer, therefore any questions on Irish subsea cables should be directed to the Irish Government.